27 June 2011

Liam's Birthday

Liam's Birthday at Jollibee, Regalado

Jollibee, Karlo, Liam (happy 1st birthday!) Lilli, and ultra hip Mr. Yum

Jollibee crew welcomes Liam and guests with a warm nicely choreographed production number. Grabe ferformans lebel~! :D

Bubuyog kinuyog! Partying with classmates of Lilli and Karlo + the kids!

My favorite shot of the party. I can see his future already :D Nice shot kiddo :D

18 June 2011

The Best Burger and Other Goodies at Banchetto Mega Tent, Ortigas

Last week, ANC's Shop Talk featured an episode on entrepreneurs having burgers as their business. One burger caught our interest, the Juicy Lucy by Amburger.

We found out Amburger is just a small stall in Banchetto, MegaTent, Ortigas. Banchetto is a night food extravaganza that starts every 9:00 p.m. Friday till the 7:00 a.m of the next day.

Banchetto translates "feast" in Italian. It is a unique food experience that offers a myriad of choices (but not limited to) burgers, pasta, pizza, barbecue, shawarma, crepes, cakes and pastries - all budget friendly.

Juicy Lucy Burger has 1/2 pound of 100% pure beef patty stuffed with premium cheese. It also comes with bacon, mushrooms, and served on a tasty fresh bun with black sesame seeds.

Juicy Lucy 200 Pesos, Mouthwatering goodness, priceless! We have been dreaming of this burger ever since. We thought half would be enough, but we were wrong.

Rating 10 out of 10. We are going back for more.

Grilled to perfection. Crunchy on the outside and tender and juicy in the inside. Just the way we like it.

Proud owners of the business.

"Kuya nakita namin kayo sa Shop Talk, hinanap talaga namin kayo."

We also tried cheesy baby potatoes from another stall. Mejo maalat nga lang, pero masarap parin.

Had a hard time choosing what pizza to buy so instead, I bought mango crepe but I wasn't able to take a picture of it.

The tarp doesn't do justice to the real goodness of the Juicy Lucy Burger.

What can you say hun?

" perfect in every way...ung laman..especially the cheesy meat and all the add ons and the bun..so perfect..."

Cakes for dessert

And Banoffee pie to go!

Cheerio!

- Rah :D

17 June 2011

On How Not to Worry

from: here.

14 June 2011

On Puerto Galera Beach Vacation

How to get to Puerto Galera.

Puerto Galera is a town in Mindoro 3.5 hours away from Manila. Two hours by bus and and hour and a half by boat. From Cubao, we took an ALPS bus from the Araneta Center Cubao Bus Station going to Batangas Pier. The fare was one hundred and seventy five pesos (175 Php).

Seats at the Batangas Port waiting for passengers.

If you are going to the beach, don't forget to bring money, towel, camera, and sunblock. Remember to pack light. As a rule of thumb, your things should fit your backpack. Leave anything that can't fit your backpack. You should be able to run with your backpack.

Here's our boat, The Golden Eagle. From the Batangas Port, barkers will guide you to the ticketing area which is located about a block away from the bus station. A round trip boat fare costs P530 including terminal and environmental fees.

Minolo Shipping Lines named their boats after golden birds. Their boats are named Golden Hawk, Golden Osprey, Golden Falcon, and Golden Eagle.

Sometimes, the boats do not dock directly to the White Beach. In our case, we docked at the town center where a shuttle took us to the White Beach. White Beach is like the "Boracay" of Puerto Galera where you can find the restaurants, bars, and other entertainment facilities.

I'm not brand conscious but when it comes to high performance outdoor equipment, I trust The North Face. If only I can afford it. And since I cannot, I just borrow from my brother.

In transit.
It was drizzling but the waters of Mindoro remained calm. We were given life vests by the boat crew, but they didn't impose that we wore it - as if to say, "Wear it if you want." The life jackets were cumbersome to wear. You have to untie the lace, wrap it around you, then tie it again. In an emergency situation, it would be impossible to wear properly - and if you don't know how to swim, you're more likely to drown.

It was drizzling the whole afternoon. This was the first time the sun showed itself prompting lovers and friends to come out and enjoy the sun and sand. It was raining half the time we were in Puerto, but we didn't mind.

Waves.
They come and go. Touching the shore inviting you to be part of it.

I didn't bother to put sunblock, there was no sun to block. But I believe (no basis) sunblock repels microscopic insects that may sting and cause an itch.

Waiting for Godot is my favorite play and was the inspiration for this photo. Who is Godot? No one knows for sure. Some say Godot is symbol of anything that we have been waiting for.

Fish eye. There's no basis to conclude that a fish's memory only lasts for three seconds. Fish are very sophisticated creatures. They learn and adapt in ways we don't understand. They see things differently, too.

I wanted to be a fisherman for a day. I want to catch that big fish, grill it with some tomatoes, and eat it.

Stone stacking. Sweet pea is so talented and has such steady hands that she was able to stack these pebbles when I had already given up. I had to buy her a Puerto Galera T shirt of her choice. It's a bet I lost.

I don't get to see sun setting this way often.

Pork BBQ.
The thing I love about Puerto is the food. This BBQ was so tender, tasty, costs only 95 Pesos, and comes with rice. It wins an award for value.

Sweetpea and I tried the famous Mindoro Sling. It puzzles me why the Mindoro Sling has apple as one of its main ingredient. They grow apples in Mindoro?

It tastes great. Prices vary from 150 to 350 Php per pitcher depending on the "sossy-ness" of the bar.

We ordered Margherita pizza, not to be confused with "margarita" the drink. This 300 peso worth pizza is an artful combination of mozzarella cheese (white), tomatoes (red) and basil (green) and was meant to represent the colors of the Italian flag.

I have always loved the beach. The smell of the salty water, the wind in my face, the gentle roar of the waves all combine to create a sense of peace and calm. Our memories of the sea will linger on even after our footprints in the sand are gone.

Mosquito poses for Sweetpea.

Fire dancer. It's hard to earn money in this kind of business, the risks are very, very real.

Tattoo artist and rah.
"I wouldn't mind getting this permanently."

08 June 2011

On bands and knowing your best quality.

I love this band Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) because they're a case study in all the things I like in a having a band. I like the way how their music is artistic; and the fact that they show the cool things you can do with your camera; and how you can make great music videos just by unleashing your creativity. I love their music video and the idea that they all died in the end. (above)

I still don't get it why my father did not support my idea of having music as a career back then (ironically, he bought us all musical instruments we wanted). And my mother used to say, "in the business of music, you are just as good as your last performance." But I now realized that may not be true at all. An artist's performance lasts forever. It's a legacy not all people can leave.

I remember what Gracian said:

"Know your best quality, your outstanding gift. Cultivate it and nurture all the rest. All people could have achieved eminence in something if only they had known what they excelled at. Identify your king of attributes and apply it in double strength. Some excel at judgment and others at courage. Most people force their intelligence and achieve superiority in nothing. Their own passions blind and flatter them until -- too late! -- time gives them the lie."

I want my life back. That is not to say though that I don't have a life right now. It's just that - I want my life back. You know.. my life..back (?) Got it?

I wish someone would direct me to choose a path that made me happy -- someone who would state that if it stopped being something I enjoyed, it was not worth doing.

-Rah

05 June 2011

Launching a New Blog and On Evidence

Thank you for bearing with me.

I will be launching a new site which will share stuff I learn in law school. Because they say teaching is twice learning, my goal is to share what I learn in law school. I believe this is also another way of learning and relearning.

If you're interested, please add the link. (http://pinoybarbet.blogspot.com) or

My Law School Chronicles

Here is a sample of things I want to share.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The concept of evidence:

Sec 1. Rule 128 of the Rules of Court states: Evidence defined - Evidence is the means sanctioned by these rules, of ascertaining in judicial proceeding the truth respecting a matter of fact.

Evidence is not an end in itself but merely as a "means" of ascertaining the truth of a matter of fact.

The purpose of evidence is know the "legal truth." Thus, a supposed evidence that would undoubtedly show the innocence of the accused will not be considered in the decision of the court if not formally offered in evidence.

When Required - When not required

Evidence is required when the court has to resolve a question of fact. Where no factual issue exists, there is no need to present evidence. Other instances where evidence is not required:
1)The pleading in civil case do not tender an issue of fact.
2)Matters of judicial notice
3)Matters judicially admitted.
4)By agreement of the parties.

Other cases rules of evidence not applicable.
The rules of evidence, being part of the Rules of Court, apply only to judicial proceedings. (Sec.1 Rule 128, Rules of Court)

In what cases is the Rules of Court not applicable? Election cases, land registration, cadastral, naturalization and insolvency proceedings, and other cases not herein provided for, except by analogy or in a suppletory character and whenever practicable and convenient. (Riano 2009, p. 1-4)

Proof vs Evidence
"Proof is the effect of evidence."

Cheerio!

-Rah